restaurant

With Labor Day and school starting up, we start to ponder, what do I bring to the neighborhood cookout? What do I pack for the tailgating party? What do I pack the kids school lunch? Suddenly, eating out seems like the most plausible option. Unfortunately, restaurant dishes are often loaded with calories, saturated fat, sodium, and sugar that make these meals taste SO GOOD. We waste time, money, and calories on these large, expensive meals. Here are some strategies to consider using when eating out and further tips on how to recreate these dishes at home.

Eating out healthfully recommendations

TIPS

Ask if a dish can be halved or check to see if a lunch portion is available.

In general, stick to grilled, baked, or steamed dishes over fried. Request no added oil, butter, salt, or sugar.

Choose leaner portions such as chicken, fish, or sirloin steak.

Load up on veggies!

Split dessert and have 1 or 2 bites, or substitute the dessert for seasonal fruit.

Top choices based on the cuisine

American

Appetizer: Choose most often vegetables without added fats, oils, or salts or a filling salad to start the meal. Choose only sometimes chicken wings, dips, and high fat onion rings. Ask for no croutons, cheese, or nuts on the salad. Choose a few lemon slices or balsamic vinegar as an alternative to cream-based salad dressing.

Soup: Choose broth based vegetable soup without added cream or cheese. Most will be high in sodium!

Entrée: Fresh fish, seafood, or skinless white meat chicken (broiled, steamed, broiled, or poached without added butter, oil, or salt). Plain pasta with meat red sauce is a good lower fat option. An omelet without added cheese or salt can be a great choice at breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Appetizer: Steamed mussels or clams, grilled vegetables with minimal or no oil, or steamed artichokes

Salad: Salad with no meat, cheese, or olives. Use vinegar or lemon juice as a dressing. Arugula with balsamic vinegar is a great choice too!

Soup: Minestrone (although high in sodium!)

Pasta: Ask for whole-wheat pasta or zoodles. Choose less often stuffed pastas like ravioli and tortellini. Ask for pasta cooked in unsalted water.

Sauce: Meatless tomato sauce (marinara, pomodoro); use sauce with oil and salt sparingly; request fresh, chopped tomatoes, basil, garlic, and a splash of balsamic vinegar as a good alternative to sauce; order side of grilled or steamed vegetables to mix in with pasta